


Fallout, Part Two

by Emma



Series: Fallout [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-10
Updated: 2012-08-09
Packaged: 2017-11-11 19:37:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 7,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/482150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma/pseuds/Emma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally Fallout was a very long single work. I've split it in two for this posting. This would be Chapter 13 in DW and LJ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

             “Whoah, Nellie.” Martha stared at the man walking into Jack’s office. “I didn’t really believe Gwen when she told me.”

             “Doctor Martha Jones, meet Ifan Owain, also of the Jones tribe. Ifan, this is my nightingale, Martha Jones.”

             “I remember. Hello, doctor Jones.”

             “You remember me?”

             “Bits and pieces only.” His eyes twinkled merrily. “I associate you with dabbling and UNIT caps.”

             She laughed then turned abruptly serious. “I understand you have some reservations about being my patient.”

             “I’ll leave you two to work this out.” Jack stood up and headed for the adjoining office. “Kathy and I have some files to review.”

             “That’s a new one on me!”

             “He has been very careful not to intrude in my life.” Ifan sighed. “Maybe a bit too much.”

             “He needs to find his own peace with this. Ianto was very important to him.”

             “You think I don’t know that?” Absently Ifan started to straighten out the papers on Jack’s desk. “I also know how important Jack was to Ianto.”

             “Do you?”

             “One of the not so pleasant side effects of the tinkering the Master did in my brain is that most of my memories surface first as dreams. A few times in the last two months, I’ve… hell, this is embarrassing.”

             “So you think I haven’t encountered the medical term _nocturnal emissions_ somewhere during my training?”

             They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles.

             “Point to you, doctor Jones. So, can you handle this? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. I’m carrying the DNA of someone who probably still gives you nightmares. Some of his memories, too.”

             “You’re also carrying the DNA and the memories of someone who became a very dear friend.” Martha said firmly. “Now, let’s tell Jack everything is straightened out.”

             “Hold on a minute.” He reached for the TARDIS coral on Jack’s desk. “This should really be under the lights.”

             As he touched it there was a faint flash of light and a soft hum. He stared up at Martha.

             “Is it supposed to do that?”


	2. Chapter 2

        “There isn’t a thing wrong with him, Jack. And if you ask me _are you sure?_ one more time I’m going to smack you with the scanner.”

             “Sorry Martha. It’s just that…”

             She took his hand. “I know, ok? But I’ve compared my results with the ones from the tests the Doctor ran last month, and the only thing I can see is a slight increase in the amount of artron energy stored in his neural progenitor cells. The Doctor warned me it could happen.”

             “Why?”

             “About thirty five percent of the genetic modifications done to Ifan involved neural cells. It makes sense. If the Master wanted to convince the Doctor that Ifan was going to be the receptacle for his consciousness, he had to make enough changes in Ifan’s brain physiology to make the Doctor believe it could work. It's what the Doctor would be focusing on.” She clenched her fists. “And now Ifan has to deal with the fallout.”

             “Do we know what that will be?”

             “No. Some. The Doctor left me with some books and a link to the TARDIS’s translation circuits. I’m going to be reading up on Gallifreyan biology.”

             “Are you saying Ifan could become a Time Lord?”

             “I’m saying that his DNA has been modified to accommodate Time Lord biology. To what degree, we don’t know. What happened with the coral… last night I was looking through some of the texts and one of them said something about some Time Lords having a sensitivity to TARDIS coral. It seems to be very different than the ability to bond with a full-grown TARDIS.” She sighed. “Jack, I need help. I can’t do everything Torchwood needs and this at the same time.”

             “Any recommendations?”

             “Tish.”

            “Martha…”

             “Hear me out. I know you don’t like the idea of both of us working in Torchwood, but we’re not going to be field agents, Jack. She’ll be perfect. Her MsC is on information and knowledge management and she took a minor in linguistics. If anyone can help me plow through all this…”

             “Would she want to? Last time I spoke to her she wanted nothing more exciting than to find a nice job in a proper library and settle down to helping undergraduates.”

             “Yeah, well… I told her about Ifan and the Master. Don’t look at me like that, Jack. You think she wouldn’t notice all that discreet security you have hanging around the whole family? She stormed in last night while I was working and demanded to know what was going on. She wants in, Jack.”

             “All right. Get her down here and we’ll talk.”


	3. Chapter 3

            “Thank you for inviting me.”

             Ifan poured two large mugs of coffee. “I know I said dinner and a movie…”

             “The dinner was fabulous, and I’d rather sit and talk.” Jack rested his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. “I’m tired.”

             “You’ve been working eighteen hour days for the last six weeks, Jack. Even your fabled constitution must be feeling the strain.” He set the tray down on the large ottoman that doubled as a coffee table. “As your personal minder I am prescribing a cup of coffee with a shot of Penderyn, a chocolate biscuit, and a full ten hours of sleep.”

             “I have to…”

             “You have to rest, Jack. It’s either this or Martha shoots you full of tranquilizers when you least expect it. I’ve cleared your calendar for tomorrow. Kathy’s meeting with the Americans, which as assistant director she should do anyway. Martha’s reviewing the personnel files, and Tish is taking a break from her research and helping her. It’s all taken care of.”

             “It sounds like a conspiracy.”

             “Yep. Here.” He handed Jack one of the mugs.

             “Oh. It’s… it tastes like…”

             “Turns out Ianto and Rhiannon learned to make coffee from their mam. Rhi taught me the last time I went down for the weekend.” He gave Jack a little smirk. “I’ve been wanting to throw away the canteen rubbish for days.”

             “Why haven’t you?”

             Ifan sipped his own coffee. “I didn’t want to add to your troubles. I know how hard you’re working at keeping us separate in your mind.”

             “That bothers you?”

             “I watch you flirt with the others, natural as breathing, and I remember when you used to do it with… Ianto. It bothers me that we’ve lost that easy friendship. Then I remember it wasn’t with me.”

             “It must be hell for you at times.”

             “What?”

             “Trying to play the roles we need while at the same time trying to integrate everything that’s in your head.”

             “Martha’s been a lifesaver. She listens.”

             Jack set aside the mugs and took one of Ifan’s hands in his. “I’ve been staying away because I didn’t want to add to your troubles, either. Ianto is… was… so very important to me. I’m afraid to make you feel I expect him back. I’m afraid of… expecting him back.”

             “I know. It’s why I don’t wear suits and keep my hair long.” Ifan rubbed at the scruffy two-day worth of beard on his jaw. “Even this thing, though it itches something fierce at times. It’s me, mind you. I’m comfortable like this. But…”

             “It’s also your way of giving me visual cues?”

             “Yeah. Jack, you know what’s really hard for me? Watching you become a little more distant every day.”

             “Ifan…”

             “Jack, I’m not so fragile I’m going to break if you slip and call me Ianto, but the kids… Mica, Kyna, the boys… call me Uncle Yan. It’s half-way between Ianto and Ifan. I’m comfortable with it.”

             “Yan…”

             “Yes, Jack?”

             “May I kiss you?”

             “Well, finally!”

             “Cheeky brat.”


	4. Chapter 4

            “Doctor Jones! Does your husband know you go around kissing strange men?”

             Martha wiped her lipstick from Jack’s lips. “I had my weekly session with Yan this morning. He told me about the dates.”

             “I don’t even know if they’re that. We find a quiet place to sit and talk. Sometimes we just stay in and watch a movie or take the boat out to Richmond or Greenwich. We hold hands. We kiss…”

             “You look just like he did when he was telling me about it. Happy.”

             “I am.” Jack tried to find the right words. “It should feel odd, but it doesn’t. Or at least, not too often. We’re getting know each other. Becoming friends. I don’t even know if we’ll become lovers. Or if we will just be friends with benefits for as long as it lasts. Or just friends, and someday I’ll be best man at his wedding.”

             “Is that all right with you?”

             He gave her a level look. “I don’t know. I don’t think my feelings are any clearer than his, Martha. Sometimes he’ll say something, or he’ll laugh a certain way, and it’s like Ianto’s in the room with me. And I’m terrified that I’ll lose him again. And sometimes it’s just Yan, a lovely man who resembles someone I loved.”

             “Someone you still love.”

             “Someone I’ll always love. But loving Ianto through Yan would be insulting to them both.” He smiled. “He’s not sure of anything, either. But we’re enjoying the process of finding out.”

             She kissed his cheek. “You’re a lovely guy, Jack Harkness.”

             “No. Just a realist. Or trying to be. So. Anything else?”

             “Yes. It looks like Tish has found something about the sensitivity to TARDIS coral. It was extremely rare. Interestingly, those who had it turned out to be the best TARDIS pilots. At one period in their history the Gallifreyans established training programs for coral-sensitive children that began as early as two.”

             “So why am I hearing a _but_?”

             “Because there was another side effect to the sensitivity. Coral-sensitive children often also suffered from a terrible physical reaction to the Vortex itself.”

             “The Doctor said the Master went insane when he looked into the Vortex. If his sensitivity was not detected…”

             “Yeah.”

             “So is there anything we can do to protect…”

             The door slammed open and Kathy burst in. “Jack, Martha. We just got a call from our contact in St. Bart’s. A woman was admitted today who seems to be suffering from some sort of unidentified brain fever. She was babbling about the Doctor, and Daleks, and someone called Ood. He says her name is…”

             “Donna Noble.” Jack said, jumping up and reaching for his coat. “Martha…”

             “Kathy, call downstairs and tell them to get a complete medical isolation unit set up. We’re going to need it.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

             “How is she?”

             “I’ve stabilized her, but that’s about all I can do. Keep her asleep.” Martha pointed at the monitor. “See that line jumping all over the place? That’s her brain activity. Human brains weren’t meant to maintain that speed or that level of complexity. Sooner or later she’ll burn out.”

             “Jack said she was a Time Lord for a while.”

             “Yeah. It was an accident. She got caught in the middle of a bad regeneration and the contents of the Doctor’s brain got dumped into hers.” She patted Donna’s hand. “Ultimately it would have killed her, so the Doctor locked away all her memories of him and their travels together.”

             “I wonder what triggered them?”

             “Jack doesn’t think it was an accident. He sent field agents to trace her steps for the last week.”

             “And you?”

             “I agree. The Doctor loved Donna. He would have done a thorough job.”

             “The… Lucy Saxon?”

             “Most likely, though the Doctor makes enemies just as fast as he makes friends.”

             Ifan snorted in amusement. “Now that’s God’s own truth. I better go. Jack has an UNIT meeting this afternoon. I’ll have to caffeinate him thoroughly or there’s likely to be bloodshed.” He hesitated. “By the way, Martha… mine can.”

             “What?”

             “You said human brains couldn’t handle the contents of a Time Lord’s brain. Mine can. Of course, I’m not fully human.”

             “As you suggesting what I think you are?”

             He shrugged. “It would solve at least two issues. Donna Noble would live. And I get to fill that empty mansion I carry between my ears.”

             “I don’t even know if we have the technology… Jack would know.” She drooped. “Jack would never go for it.”

             “There’s a way. The equipment we confiscated from Lazarus. Some of it was used to implant information about Gallifrey in my head. It’s a long shot, but if it works, we could transfer the Doctor’s memories from Donna to me.”

             “How could we tell them apart from hers?”

             “Believe me, Martha, I would know.”

             “Jack…”

             “I’ll deal with Jack.”


	6. Chapter 6

           “No.”

             “Jack…”

             “Absolutely not.”

             The objective part of Yan’s brain noted that Jack Harkness in a cold rage was quite a terrifying thing. “Why not?”

             “Because it is impossible to even begin to predict what it will do to you.”

             “But we _can_ predict what it will do to Donna. She’ll be dead in a few more days.”

             “And I will mourn. She is a fellow Companion and one of the gutsiest dames it’s been my privilege to know. But my days of trading off people and hoping for the best are over.”

             “It’s not the same thing!”

             “It is to me.”

             Yan moved to sit in his usual spot on Jack’s desk. “I can help her, Jack.”

             “And how do we help you if this goes wrong?”

             “What are you so worried about?”

             Jack took a deep breath. “Have you stopped to think it’s all too convenient? Don’t look at me like that. They worked long and hard to create you, Yan. It doesn’t make any sense to go at all that trouble to set up the equivalent of a three-card monte game. No, the Master had plans for you. We don’t know what exactly he left behind in the brain of yours. Flooding it with Time Lord knowledge may be exactly what he wants us to do.”

             “Jack, that’s… paranoid.”

             “The Master is the dictionary definition of paranoid, Yan. And he hates me.” Jack shivered slightly. “He wants to live forever, you see. That’s what’s at the bottom of his madness. He’s afraid of death. And there I was, an inferior creature, and I had his heart’s desire. You know how I survived him? By knowing that every time I came back to life I was driving him a little more insane.”

             “And you think he would make me into some sort of sleeper? Like Beth?”

             Jack nodded. “If you succeeded, he would have the pleasure of knowing he had defeated me by using the one I loved the most against me. If you failed, he had the even greater pleasure of knowing I destroyed the thing I loved the most one more time. With the added bonus of executing part of the Doctor along with you.”

             “On the other hand, if we bring it all out in the open we can figure out what he’s after and stop him.”

             “Yan…”

             “No, Jack, listen. You don’t have a reason to trust Yan completely yet. But you can trust Ianto.”

             “What do you mean?”

             Yan tapped his temple. “The Doctor said Ianto was able to override my conditioning enough to plant a suggestion that I should go find you. Let’s use that. If there’s a way to let Ianto resurface, he would handle whatever came up.”

             Jack ghosted his fingers over Yan’s face. “Doesn’t it worry you? That I would want to keep Ianto instead?”

             Yan kissed Jack’s fingers as they stroked his lips. “I may not have reason to trust you completely yet, Jack. But I trust Ianto.”


	7. Chapter 7

           “You know why you are here, professor Docherty.”

             “Doctor Jones explained.” The woman’s voice was weary. “If I can help you, I will, Captain Harkness, but you must understand that I was just her assistant. Half the stuff she had me build I couldn’t even understand.”

             “What we are interested in is the methods she used to wake the Ianto personality up.”

             “Ah.” Her hands twitched in the gesture of a smoker desperately in need of a cigarette between her fingers. “That wasn’t… well, the first time it was. I didn’t even know it could be done. But once the personality was awake, it was a simple matter to let it come to the fore. All it was needed was for the Yan personality to be dormant.”

             “Jack turned to Martha. “Can we do that?”

             “Yes. A hypnotic drug used to treat sleep disorders will do the trick. Do you know if she used one?”

             “Several, I think. There should be information in his files.”

             Martha refilled the coffee cups. “Is there anything else you can tell us, professor?”

             Doherty clutched hers. “She terrified me. I went to work for her because she offered me my son back. I would have done anything for that. But as I learned… as I saw what she was doing… I couldn’t stomach it.”

             “Why didn’t you run?”

             “I told you! She terrified me! There was something about her that froze your breath. Even her pet psychopath cowered when she went by.”

             “Her pet…”

             “Dr. Woolf. That man was evil. I give thanks to God every night for Captain Hart’s temper.” She smiled at their surprise. “People talk, and there are such things as surveillance tapes, which I am sure didn’t get into circulation accidentally. To those of us at Lazarus that survived the purge the night raid into the nineteenth and twentieth floors has acquired a kind of legendary quality. Believe me, I’m not the only one who gets on their knees every night. If good wishes alone could get a man into heaven, Captain Hart is safe.”

             Martha and Jack burst into laughter. “I am sure John will be very grateful.”

             “Not as grateful as I am. Have you ever gone so utterly mad that when you finally resurface into sanity your mind refuses to accept it was you doing whatever it was you did?” At Jack’s nod, she offered a bitter little smile. “Yes, of course. If anyone ever has had a reason, you have. Well, when I finally regained my sanity I was trapped in hell. You freed me, Captain, and for that I thank you.”

             She stood up, knowing the interview was over. “One last thing, Captain, for what it’s worth. She had friends in high places. There was a man who visited regularly.” She pointed in the general direction of Whitehall. “Imagine my surprise when I saw the new Shadow Home Secretary being interviewed by the BBC after the recent party reorganization. I think Torchwood’s last sweep through missed some rats.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

            “Jack.”

             “Hello, Ianto.”

             “Something… wrong.”

             “I know.” Jack lifted the hand he was holding to his lips. “I know.”

             “No! Not… death. Mind. Something’s stopping… us.”

             Martha stroked Yan’s sweat-damp hair back from his forehead. “Stopping you from what, Ianto?”

             “Yan and I… we tried to… merge.” The voice – Yan but not Yan – was getting stronger. “Should be one. They stopped us. Made Yan forget. Block.”

             “Do you know why?” Jack asked.

             “Yan is… not whole. Even if I try to stay out of his way… I am here. Things bleed through.” He sipped at the glass Martha held to his lips. “He spends his life trying to juggle… us. Sooner or later he will lose the fight. But Yan… we… whole… scared her to death. She wanted to make sure we ended up sectioned. Or worse.”

             “Ianto,” Martha said, “Yan wants to…”

             “I know. It might be a good idea at that.”

             Jack rubbed the back of Yan’s hand against his cheek. “Why, Ianto?”

             “What she did to Yan… it wasn’t technology. It was psychical manipulation using Gallifreyan techniques. If Yan can access the Doctor’s knowledge he can reverse whatever was done to us. Him. Duw, now I’m doing it too.”

             But what if…” Jack groped for the right words. “If Yan has difficulties integrating two personalities, what will happen when he has to integrate three? The Doc can be pretty overwhelming.”

             “I know, but… he’s not the Master. He would know it would be wrong to just take over. Besides… Something she said… she’d been watching Donna for a long time. Studying her. The regeneration energy in the Doctor’s hand borrowed cellular material from Donna to create the second Doctor. What Donna got was… blowback.”

             “So she might be carrying the Doctor’s knowledge and his memories but not his personality?”

             “Could be. Not certain. But nothing is certain, is it?” Yan sighed. “Jack… we need to do this. Please.”

             “All right. But before you go…” He leaned close and pressed his lips to Yan’s. “I love you, Ianto Jones.”

             “Did you think I don’t know that?” He gave the Captain a smirk and an eye-roll. “Enough guilt, Jack. Whatever happens in the future, we had a fantastic time, you and I. You should celebrate it, not mourn it.”


	9. Chapter 9

            “Hey, Captain Gorgeous.”

             “Hello, Donna. How are you feeling?”

             “Like I’ve been run over by an artic.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Why am I here, Jack? Actually, where the hell am I?”

             “Torchwood London. Something or someone triggered your memory and you slipped into a coma. We got to you just in time.”

             “So how come I’m still alive? I thought the skinny Martian said it would kill me to remember?”

             Jack snorted at her nickname for the Doctor. “We found a way to take the Doctor out of your brain. No overload.”

             “I hope you were careful, then,” she said waspishly. “Some of the good parts were mine, you know!”

             “Don’t worry. We kept you sharp and mouthy, Red.” He sat down on the side of the bed. “I need to ask you some questions, Donna.”

             “I had a feeling you would.”

             “What do you remember about the last couple of weeks?”

             “The temp agency sent me to St. George’s Wharf. Private residence, which I don’t often do, people being what they are, but they offered a lot of money for a few days’ work.  It was a Mrs. Meester, Dutch lady, really very nice.” She rubbed her temples. “We finished… what day is today?”

             “Tuesday.”

             “Last Wednesday, I guess, then. And she offered me a drink and some nibblies, she was always snacking and called them nibblies, and I don’t remember anything else until I woke up and saw you looking down at me.”

             “Sounds about right. The toxicology report says you had a lot of sedatives in your system.” He chuckled at her outraged expression. “Tell me about Mrs. Meester.”

             “Like I said, Dutch lady. Expert on tulips. She wanted someone to help her organize her files. She told Mary at the agency that she had heard about me from another client. I think she mentioned the name but I don’t remember it. Are you saying she did this, Jack? Why?”

             “Because… the Doctor never mentioned someone called the Master, did he? Silly question. Sorry. I guess the best way to put it is that you got caught in a very old feud.”

             She punched him in the arm. “The whole story, Captain Gorgeous. If someone’s going around trying to pick a fight with me I want to know who.”

             “Well, there’s a problem with that. It’s all supposed to be top secret, highest security rating sort of stuff. Temp staff wouldn’t rate.” He grinned at her. “Want a permanent job?”


	10. Chapter 10

            “How does it feel?”

             “Like nothing I can describe. It’s… I could get lost in there,” Ifan tapped the side of his head, “for the rest of my life.”

             “Not such a good idea.”

             “No, maybe not.” He glanced at Jack then lowered his eyes. “I saw the tape. You were right. There’s more to me than just a three-card monte con.  But I’ll be damned if I know what it is.”

             “Donna tells me her last employer was a Mrs. Meester, from Holland. Tulip fancier.”

             “So everything is proceeding according to Mrs. Saxon’s plans?”

             “It would seem so. She had to know we wouldn’t let Donna die.”

             “So what next?”

             “We need to find out why she wanted to data-dump the Doctor into your head before you and Ianto could join.”

             “So I need to go through all the data and figure out how to remove whatever blocks she put in? There is so much, Jack. I don’t even know where to start.”

             “You’ve got a doctor and a librarian on call. There’s damn little Martha and Tish can’t figure out if they put their minds to it. And if worst comes to worst I’ve just hired someone who can turn any filing system inside out, even if it’s inside your head.” Jack sipped at his water bottle. “We’ll be ahead of the bitch for once.”

             This time Ifan looked directly at Jack. “And is that the only reason?”

             “I don’t know what…”

             “Don’t you, Jack? I watched that tape. I saw you with Ianto. Are you sure that you’re not hoping that Ianto will… become the dominant personality? It would be the perfect solution. Give you back everything you lost.”

             Jack stood up, ramrod straight. “Do you really believe that of me?”

             “I don’t know! I don’t know what’s going on anymore. I thought… you and me… but the way you looked at Ianto…”

             “I loved Ianto and I’m not going to apologize for it. But I don’t want you replaced, Yan. Sometimes you remind me of Ianto, yes, but you are your own person. A person I like more and more each day. If you merge with Ianto… I guess you’ll be yet a third person. A mixture of both. Someone I’ll have to get to know all over again.”

             “And if I don’t go through with it, Jack? If I refuse giving up being Yan?”

             “Then we do whatever we can to stop the Master anyway. It’s not an order, Yan. I won’t stop being your friend if you say no.”

             “But you’ll pull away in every other way. Slowly. Once you realize that I’m not Ianto, that I’ll never be Ianto, you’ll pull away. He’s the one you want.”

             Jack’s head drooped. “Maybe this was all wrong from the beginning. What’s that Faulkner quote? _The past isn’t dead; it isn’t even past._ Maybe Ianto will always be standing between us.” He turned away. “I don’t know how to go about proving to you how I feel, Yan, so I won’t even try. It’s up to you to decide if you can let the past go.”


	11. Chapter 11

           “What are you doing here?”

             “Did Jack send you?”

             Tish sat down on the bench next to him. “Actually, Kathy did. She saw you leave.”

             “And tracked me down through CCTV, no doubt.”

             “Yeah. So?”

             “I wonder which nameless bureaucrat had the decency to have Torchwood London rebuilt in Greenwich.” Ifan kept his eyes on the two coxless fours racing past the dock. “I should thank them. Having to go back there would have been… impossible.”

             “It was Jack. He refused to let them use that site again. At the time, they were all too shell-shocked to argue with him and by the time they wanted to, this place was half-way completed.” She turned slightly towards him. “What happened, Yan?”

             “Jack and I, we… fought. Well, I did. I screamed at him. He told me it was over.”

             “Oh, I doubt that. He cares too much.”

             “He cares about Ianto!”

             “Yes. And about you. And me. And Martha. And Kathy. And Gwen. And the Doctor… Jack loves. It’s his strongest virtue and his greatest weakness.”

             “I know.” He sighed and dropped his head on her shoulder. “I made an arse of myself.”

              “Are you really afraid that Ianto will overwhelm you?”

             “No, not really. I don’t know what happened!  Suddenly it was like I knew they were plotting against me, and I lashed out at Jack.”

             “Could it be… do you think maybe that’s part of the Master’s plan? Make you distrust them, I mean.”

             He jerked up. “Damn him. How could I have missed it?”

             “Easy. It’s all inside your head.”

             “Yeah. And it’s going to keep making a hash of everything I try by myself. Tish… I’m going to need help. Someone who cares, but who’s not… Can I ask you?”

             She kissed his forehead. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll hold your hand if you hold mine.”

             “Kathy?”

             “Yeah. I’m out of my depth here. Usually if I walk into a room where there’s a gorgeous woman and a homely man I’ll automatically look at the man. So how did I find myself falling in love with Kathy?”

             “I was talking to Rhi about it one day. She said Ianto had told her that it wasn’t about men. It was about Jack. The person. With you, it’s not about women. It’s about Kathy.”

             “So when I try to explain this to mother you’ll be there to support me?”

             “I know my behavior has been a little crazy lately, but do I look to you like I’ve completely lost my mind?”


	12. Chapter 12

            “I’m going to have to call the Doctor.”

             “Why?”

             “I need to look at the stuff that John took from doctor Woolf’s office.” Martha collapsed into the guest chair facing Jack’s desk. “God, I’m tired. Tom is threatening to move into the lab just so he can see me from time to time.”

             “What’s so urgent? I thought Donna and Yan were fine.”

             “Oh, they are. It’s just that…There’s something showing on Yan’s genetic scans that I don’t think should be there, even after I factor out the Time Lord DNA. Actually that’s the problem. I can’t factor out all the Time Lord DNA.”

             “That doesn’t make sense”

             “You think I don’t know that?” Her nails clicked on the metal arms of the chair as she drummed impatiently. “When I examined Yan’s DNA samples I found an odd thing. The majority of the Master’s DNA was inserted by replacing nucleotide pairs in certain sections. Since they are made of different molecules, they stand out like sharks at a guppy convention. But here’s where it gets weird. Some of the nucleotides have different phosphates groups. And something even odder is that the backbones of Yan’s DNA show the presence of non-human sugar molecules.”

             “What are you saying, Martha?”

             “I’m saying that if I didn’t know better I would say Ianto’s DNA was already carrying non-human genes.”

             “That’s impossible. Torchwood London tested every employee. Anything alien would have ended up in a dissecting table. Probably alive.”

             “That’s an ugly thought. But I think these findings would have been written up as mistakes in the replication process. Oddities. Most of them were in places where they would have made no difference. Except one, and that one…”

             “Keep going,” Jack encouraged. “That one…”

             “That one could be a trigger for the creation of a secondary DNA strand. A totally non-human one.” She sighed. “That’s as far as I can go. Maybe the Doctor can do better.”

              “Have you told Yan yet?”

             “He and Tish are working on something this morning. I’m seeing him this afternoon. Do you want to be there?”

             “No. I don’t think he’s ready to deal with… anything involving me yet.”

             “Jack…”

             “It’s all right, Martha. I’ve come to terms with it as much as I can.”

             “Is that why you’ve been working yourself into exhaustion every day? Or why you’ve put together a succession plan just in case you’re not here?”

             Jack rubbed his eyes. “I’m not going to disappear on you, Martha. I give you my word. I’m tired of leaving disaster in my wake. This time, when I leave, everything will be in place. Torchwood will be ready.”


	13. Chapter 13

             “It hurts.”

             Tish cradled him carefully, making sure she kept his head as straight and still as possible. “I know, sweetheart, I know.”

             “I don’t think I can do this.”

             “Yes, you can. I promise it, you can.”

             Yan moaned. “God it hurts.”

             “Talk to me, then. Tell me what you see.”

             "The end of the Universe. It’s so dark and cold. And there’s nothing except hope and even that will end.” He rubbed his palms on the carpet. “And the drums…”

             She blanched but kept her hold. “What about the drums?”

             “Scared. But why? There’s nothing to fear in the light.”

             “Tell me about the light, Yan.” Tears poured down her face. “What do you see?”

             “Warm. And safe. And so much power! I can do anything. I can make anything.” Suddenly he reached out as if grasping something Tish couldn’t see. “Why would anyone fear this?”

             “I don’t know. Can you still hear the drums?”

             “Yes. But it’s only my heartbeat. The light holds it, keeps it safe. Keeps me? No. Not me. Ianto.”

             “Can you see Ianto?”

             “He’s here. Hey, we do look good in a suit.”

             She giggled through her tears. “That you do, sweetheart. So now what?”

             “Now we…” 

             His body convulsed. She hung on, while at the same time tapping her earpiece frantically. “Martha! Get in here. Now!”

             “No. I’m… fine.” His voice was weak, and the Welsh accent was more pronounced.” It’s fine.”

             “Like hell, Yan. You were nearly levitating off the carpet.”

             He tried to sit up. “I’m fine, Tish. Really.”

             She kept her arms around him. “All right. So… did it work?”

             “I think so.” He sighed and dropped his head to her shoulder. “It wasn’t what I was expecting.”

             She stroked his hair. “Rough, uh?”

             “Something like that, yes.”

             Both of them looked up at the sound of running feet.

             “Oh. Sorry. We didn’t mean to interrupt.”

             “Interrupt what, Jack? Jack!”


	14. Chapter 14

           The door to Jack’s office smashed against the wall. “What the hell was that all about?”

             “I don’t know what you mean.”

             “You don’t, do you? You don’t remember the drama you enacted back there? _We didn’t mean to interrupt_ my arse.”

             “I saw Martha running towards your office. I thought there was something wrong! Instead I found you on Tish’s lap. What was I supposed to say?”

             “You could have damned well asked what was going on before you flounced out, you great big twpsyn!” Yan slammed his hands on Jack’s desk. “Or did you really think Martha was running to protect Tish’s virtue?”

             “Oh.” Jack cleared his throat. “So, what was going on?”

             “Tish has been helping me to research my little problem,” he tapped his head. “We’ve been chasing down memories for several days. We came across some information about a rare psychiatric disorder that affected a group of Time Lords during the Time War. Or a Time War because I think there’s been more than one… Anyway, that’s not important now. These Time Lords were on some sort of secret mission, and whatever they did drove them insane. They hid inside their own heads. A bit like dissociative identity disorder, but deeper and more irreversible. Most of them died in long-term care with the minds of four-year-olds. But one or two were cured. And the Doctor knew how.”

             “And you decided to just try it on yourself without any supervision?” Jack‘s voice turned flat and even. “And Tish let you?”

             “No! She walked in after I had started and … Yeah.” He sat down abruptly. “What the hell was I thinking?”

             Jack put a leash on his temper. “Maybe something was doing the thinking for you. The Master would like nothing better than you in a padded cell in Providence Park.”

             “Damn.”

             “All right, then. We know you’re going to want to try again, so I want your word on it, Yan. No more unsupervised experimentation.”

             “Why would I want to try again?”

             “I thought you said…"

            Before his mind could make the correct deductions, Jack found himself being hauled out of his chair and thoroughly kissed.

             “How could you think I would give you up?” The heavy Welsh drawl in his ear made him shiver. “For anyone?”

             “Ianto… Yan?”

             “Both. Neither. Just call me Mr. Jones. Like you did that time…”

             This time it was Jack who pulled his lover into a frantic kiss that didn’t end until they were both gasping for air.

             “I’m going to take you to bed tonight, Mr. Jones,” He whispered in Yan’s ear. “And I’m going to keep you there until we’re both exhausted.”

             “Promise.”

             A diffident knock on the door made them turn, although they did not let go of each other.

             “Sorry to interrupt the reunion,” Martha said, “but I just heard from the Doctor. He’s on his way here. He says the TARDIS is picking up some odd readings. He wants us all in one place until he gets here.”


	15. Chapter 15

            “Jack, we need to find Donna.”

             “Hello, Doctor, nice to see you again,” Jack said with exaggerated politeness. “What can Torchwood do for you?”

             “Are you trying to be funny? The TARDIS keeps saying that there’s another Time Lord on Earth. When I remind her of the Master, she shows me an energy signature that I’ve never seen before. And the only other person on Earth who could… ouch!" The smack on the back of the head had him whirling around. “Donna?”

             “Who did you think it would be, you skinny Martian?”

             He swept her into a tight hug, his eyes misty. “Oh, Donna.” As realization struck, he put her down, pushing her away enough to examine her. “How?”

             “Yan found a way.” Jack said. “She’s fine. Memories intact but no Time Lord knowledge.”

             “But the only way he could have done that is if…” He felt the presence behind him and turned slowly, on his heels, hand on his pockets. “Ah. The TARDIS was right.”

             “Yes and no.”  Yan made a face. “I’m… Frankenstein’s monster.”

             “Yan!”

             “Oi! Don’t talk about yourself like that!”

             The Doctor grinned at Yan. “It seems you have defenders. But in this instance, they’re right, you know. From the genetic standpoint, everyone is a bit of a Frankenstein monster anyway. It’s the mind that matters, especially for us.”

             “Us?”

             “Well, you have one heart and you’re mortal and you’re not likely to get your own TARDIS… but in every other way… welcome to the clan.” He grabbed Ifan’s hand, shook it enthusiastically, then dropped it as another thought distracted him. “Um… I have to talk to Martha.”

             “She’s on her way.” Ifan said. “I asked her to come.”

             “Oh?”

             “I’ve been… sorting through the stuff in my head. I did not mean to invade your privacy, Doctor. Not that you left behind a great deal of personal information, but there was some.”

             The Doctor smiled. “I trust you to keep my secrets, Ifan.”

             Martha walked in and threw her arms around the Doctor, who hugged her back enthusiastically.

             “Martha,” Ifan said, “I know you’ve been doing some research on the methods the Master used to splice my genes together.”

             “Yes. Human and Gallifreyan genes are so different that there should be no possibility of a proper splice with current technology. I examined the equipment, and it’s top of the line, but it’s the stuff currently used in fertility clinics with some minor alterations. There is no way the Master should have done what she did.”

             Ifan started to say something to her, then turned to the Doctor. “I’m sorry Doctor but I need to ask you something. My memories show you… were a father once.”

             “Yes.”

             There was something ominous in the single syllable, but Ifan continued. “And grandchildren. You had grandchildren?”

             “I am not so young and patient as I once was, Mister Jones.”

             Ifan took a deep breath as if trying to steady himself. “My four times great grandmother came to Wales as a refugee. There was a war in her country and her husband had been killed. She was pregnant.”

             The Doctor had grown very pale. “Ifan?”

             “She named her son Ifan, which is Welsh for John because she said her grandfather sometimes went by it. She never told anyone much else, except that it had taken her a long time to get to Wales.” He took another breath. “She made sure at least one or two men in each generation carried a variation of the name. She died at one hundred and twenty five, a revered elder of her family and her community.”

             “Ifan?”

             “Her name was Susan Foreman.”


	16. Chapter 16

           “The Doc is your grandfather.”

             “Stop it, Jack.”

             “Ianto is your grandson.”

             “Jack, stop it.”

             “But Ianto…”

             “Jaaaack!”

             The identical sound coming from two different directions had everyone around the table bursting into laughter.

             “Give it up, Jack,” Martha said between giggles, “It’s the Universe’s way of paying you back.”

             “All right, all right. But…”

             “No buts.” Ifan said firmly. “Eat your pasta and stop stuttering.”

             “Yes, Time Lord.”

             “Shut it, Jack.”  Ifan whispered in Jack’s ear. “Unless you want to sleep alone tonight.”

             “Ah…” Jack picked up his fork. “Shutting it.”

             “So are you going down to Cardiff?” Donna asked the Doctor. “You have more family there.”

             “Yes,” The Time Lord looked slightly bewildered. “Family… it’s been a long time.”

             “Now you shut it.” She retorted. “You’ve always had family. Just not by blood.” Laying her hand on his, she smiled. “But it is nice. Tell me about Susan.”

             “She was pretty, and sharp. A bit mouthy, like you.” He sighed. “She fell in love and married David Campbell… he’s your ancestor, too, Ifan. You’re descended from Scottish freedom fighters. Twenty-second century.”

             “What was he fighting?” Martha asked.

             “What this family always fights.” The Doctor’s face darkened. “Daleks.” He made an effort to smile. “Backwards in time, though. Those were earlier for us, later for you. It’s a…”

             “Timey-wimey thing!” the Companions around the table chorused.

             “Cheeky. You lot are always cheeky.”

             “Your fault. You raised us,” Jack grinned at him. “Wait until you meet David and Mica.”

             “Wait ‘till you meet Rhi.” Ianto said. “She’ll have chapter and verse of the family history out of you before you’ve eaten your second scone.”

             “I’m looking forward to it.”

             Jack was looking at Ifan. “So am I.”

             This time the chorus was all female, as Martha, Donna, Tish, and Kathy sing-songed in unison, “Stop it, Jack!”


	17. Chapter 17

            “Duw, Jack!”

             “Ah. You like that.”

             “You know what I like!”

             Jack nibbled his way down to Ifan’s hipbones. “I know what Ianto liked. You’re a whole new person.”

             “Don’t play word games with me now, dammit.” Ifan arched off the bed as the tip of Jack’s tongue traced his rigid erection. “Yes. Yes.”

             “Tell me what you want, Ifan.”

             “You said the same thing the first time we… God, Jack, don’t stop!”

             Jack hummed as he licked and sucked. Ifan clenched his fists on the duvet, biting his lip as he felt Jack’s oiled fingers tease him open. Jack reached up with his other hand and pulled the lip free.

             “Oh, no. I want to hear you scream.”

             “You utter bastard.”  He arched again as clever fingers found his prostate. “Fuck. The neighbours…”

             “Soundproof room.” Jack sucked hard then pulled away. “We need to go slow. This is your first time.”

             “How can it be? I have all these memories.” He pulled Jack down on top of him and savoured his own taste in his lover’s mouth. “They’re fully integrated, you know.  I am Ianto as much as I was before.”

             Jack closed his eyes against the tears. “Are you?”

             “Shall I prove it to you?”

             He flipped them over. Looking down at Jack, he smiled, and Jack felt the breath catch in his throat. It was Ianto’s smile, the one that surfaced only when they were together. And yet, it had a little edge, something new, bolder.

             “The first time you took me to bed, you did this.” Ifan sucked Jack’s earlobe then nibbled his way down to the space between neck and shoulder. “And then this.” He sucked hard, leaving a reddened mark. “Remember how angry it made me that you could mark me and I couldn’t mark you?”

             He kept moving down. “And this. I didn’t know men’s nipples could be so sensitive.” And lower. “And here. When you did this for the first time I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest.” And yet lower. “And this…. yes, that’s it, Jack. Moan for me. I love those little sounds you make at the back of your throat. Yes.”

             Jack gave himself over to the pleasure, but it didn’t last nearly as long as he would have wanted. “Hey! I thought you said you had all these memories…”

             “I do.” Ifan pushed him to the edge of the bed and knelt, head cradled in his arms on the pillow, arse high, knees apart. “I remember this. Being open for you, waiting for you with my eyes closed, knowing that you were there but not being able to see you.  The first time you had me like this I nearly passed out at the end… Duw, Jack, what are you waiting for?”

             “Ifan… Ianto!”

             “No more talking! Now!”

             Jack positioned himself and sank in. “Yes. Like that. Fuck, yes. Ianto… Ifan…”

             Much later, after they had showered and changed the sheets, they cuddled under the duvet, as they had done so many times before, Jack’s head on Ianto’s heart.

             “I don’t think we should let people know about this,” Ianto said thoughtfully. “We still don’t know what the bitch is planning. Besides, it’s not as if I was the old Ianto. In so many ways I am different, think differently, react differently. I don’t want…”

             “To start having to live to other people’s expectations of what Ianto would be? I can understand that.”

             “So, Ifan it is.”

             “Ifan it is.”


End file.
